Exciting News!

3) Write a short paragraph about yourself and what your blog means to you.

4) If you could be an animal, what would it be?

5) Pick and notify ten nominees.

*What a nice surprise to be nominated for the Spirit Animal Award by Sharon Lochman! I’ve known Sherry for several years after meeting her at a Writers and Books class one evening. She has been an encouraging writing friend and together we’ve stepped into the wonderful world of blogging. We set up our websites at a weekend writing retreat with Darcy Pattison, who is definitely an inspiration in my life. Without Darcy knowing it, she has been one of my writing mentors since 2009, when I first found her blog (which was titled Revision Notes at the time). I have since taken two writing retreats with her and can say she is a wonderful teacher and writer. I noticed Sherry already nominated her for the award and I would like to nominate her for the Spirit Animal Award also! I can’t thank these two ladies enough for helping me on this journey into blogging. Please take a moment to check out their websites. See the links above.

**I’ve tried on and off since 2009 to write on a blog. I didn’t have the time and I didn’t know about content strategy. I didn’t have confidence in myself as a writer. I didn’t have a website. And, I was struggling emotionally trying to get over the loss of my Dad.

Fast forward to just a few years ago…I took Darcy’s class and set up a website. I set goals and heard about a bullet journal. I learned about productivity and tips about being an author entrepreneur. I took a class on copywriting, which changed me in a variety of ways. “It takes a village…” and I can say that each one of these steps “in my village” has helped me improve as a teacher, writer, and overall person. I’m so grateful for authors sharing their knowledge with me.

***So, my blog has evolved and my goal is to post weekly. I’m getting closer. I hope to reach out in a positive way, sharing the knowledge that has helped me improve in all the areas of life. In looking at the Lakota Values, I’m trying to write focused on one at a time. Right now I’m sharing bits and pieces of wisdom that I’ve collected over the many years of teaching in an effort to inspire others. One thing I’ve learned about writing is that you should think of one particular audience member to write for. For example, since I was recently sharing knowledge about education, I had to think about my experiences in the classroom. I’ve had the pleasure of working for many principals. Every one has made me a better teacher and/or person. So, I picked three of the six women administrators I’ve worked for in my early years and merged them into “one” audience member in my mind to write for when blogging about education. This tip has helped me focus my writing.

****If I could be an animal, I would choose a penguin. Honestly, it’s not my favorite animal, but I looked them up after a cute video I found the other day and discovered something interesting.

Male penguins give pebbles to their mate as an act of serious commitment. Then, the pebbles are used to build their nests. What a token of love!

Each “pebble” is part of a solid foundation, like in a home. This resonated with me. And then, I thought about-

step by step writing…piece by piece…encouraging others...built with love. That’s what each one of these people have done for me. (there are many other author friends who inspired and encouraged me too) I am who I am because of their support.

All of this was perfect timing because shortly after I was faced with answering these questions.

***** My ten (+1) nominees for the Spirit Animal Award are as follows: